Shade
My mood was sinking like a flooded submarine. First they take away my sweets, then some a...hole (!) shows up who can't even manage to introduce himself properly, and then it turns out that this "personality" is also my teacher! Just f*cking awesome! By the way, I really did mistake him for a reptile. I've never met a representative of his kind before. And he's got a face where you can't tell for shit whether he's a reptile, a mammal, or what other kind of crap. The fact that he corrected me automatically pretty much says this mistake is fairly common. Whatever. Doesn't make me any warmer or colder.
"Shade!" Feng called out to me.
"Hey, Feng. What do you want?"
"U-uh… Master Tsikuna was looking for you. Looks like your master arrived."
"I know. Already met him."
"A-a-and… how was it?" Zeng asked. "They say he studied under Tsikuna herself and recently earned the rank of Master!"
"He's an argrnar, not a Master," I say, sending the twins into a stupor.
"Huh?!"
"Shade told him to screw off, and then punched him in the face," Vess replied as she walked up, hiding a smile behind her hands.
"How do you know?"
"I saw it."
"You were following him?"
"No. I was going to apologize, and there you were with that lizard."
"A mammal. It's a mammal."
"O-o-oh, it's already 'it.' Growing up."
"Hold on. What do you mean, 'apologize'?" I object, planting my hands on my hips and sweeping Vessira with an eagle-eyed glare.
"Well… it's not my fault they turned out so tasty! And anyway, you should've hidden them better."
"Yeah, hide them from you…" I mutter under my breath. "With that nose of yours."
"Ple-e-e-ase," she clutched my hand like a lifeline and stared up at my face with such devoted eyes that I went speechless. Damn, Puss in Boots from Shrek can take a seat! And I'm not kidding. Her pupils widened, her lips puckered, her cheeks tensed up a little, and her fur fluffed up and, I swear, even started to shine. Fuuuuuck… no, seriously! Hold on, Shade. Hold on!!!
"Vess…"
"M?" And those eyes—so innocent, so innocent.
"That's low."
"But effective!" She licked my cheek.
"Aren't you bothered by an audience?" Zeng asked.
"Don't care."
"He said it all," Vess added, rubbing the top of her head against my chin.
"I surrender," I breathe out, and pull this… little menace into a hug!
"Yes!"
"But I'll remember this."
"No…"
"By the way, do you guys know who's getting which teacher?"
"Yes\Ra," everyone answered at once. Everyone except Vess, who smiled mysteriously.
"Ve-e-e-ess?"
"You won't believe who's going to train me."
"Hit me."
"Your mom."
"Wh… what?!" I actually jerked up.
"Yep. True, I haven't met her yet, but Master Tsikuna said she'll definitely want to take me as her apprentice. Isn't that great?"
"Y-yeah," I rasp out. Damn, I'm even afraid to imagine what that's going to turn into.
***
The next takedu flew by like the wind—so fleeting it was. With time running out, I tightened my schedule, cramming in hangouts with Vess. No, seriously—I'll stop respecting myself if I don't pay attention to this cutie. And we're being separated for at least a year, unless we happen to run into each other somewhere.
"Well then, Shade. It's time to leave the Temple behind and move on," Master Tsikuna said with a smile.
"Yes, Master. Thank you for your guidance," I bow respectfully and turn to my mother. "Don't screw it up," she said, lightly tapping my chin with her index finger, then immediately flicking me on the nose with her middle finger. A familiar gesture… she always used it when I was upset. Lifted my head and snapped me back to myself with that flick. And it worked!
"All right, Mom," I turn away and walk up to the others.
"Well, that's it. We're splitting up," Feng says with a sigh.
"Three years flew by unnoticed," Zeng grins.
"Yui-rigea."
"Gris is right. If we split up, we'll meet again," Lina delivers her verdict.
"Well, if that's the case, then see you later?" The guys smile, and I look at gloomy Vess. "And why are you hanging your nose?"
"I don't want to leave."
"Oh, come on. It's only for a year or two. And we can always contact each other," I copy Mom's gesture to Vess. I lift her head and flick her on the nose. Phenomenal—the trick works! A smile crawls onto her lips, and a spark lights up in her eyes. A second—and she's hanging off my neck.
"How cute… kh-gh!" Zeng comments, for which he gets an elbow from Lina.
"Take care of yourself," she whispers in my ear.
"What's going to happen to me?"
"You'll definitely get yourself into something," she rubs her cheek against mine.
"Heh. You be careful too," I say, and after licking my lips in farewell, she lets go and takes a step back.
"Good luck, guys."
"See you, Shade."
Turning around, I walk up to my "teacher," who's been waiting in silence.
"How touching."
"Shut up, Irbis. You're a Master in all but name, but you're still not much better than us."
"Want to check?"
"Some other time."
"All right, I won't torment you. You're within your rights. From today on, your path lies along a trail of dangers. The Temple walls won't protect you anymore. Let's see what you've learned."
"Uh-huh."
"Let's go."
"Spaceport?"
"Yes. We're heading for Chikagu. The Council is concerned about unrest there—we need to understand what's going on."
"We're getting there on foot?"
"Yep. Or are you too weak?"
"No, why? I've been wanting to test my skills in practice for a while."
***
Later, on the road
"…death will find you in the desert. Thirst, monsters, sun, fear. They follow you everywhere…"
"What are you humming?" Irbis suddenly cut in.
"Heard a song in the Temple once. It came back to me."
"Hm… then louder, please. I love it too."
"Louder? In the silent desert?"
"Why not? Stop!" He halts sharply and looks ahead. And out of the sand crawls a mankl. Some big lizard-cat-looking piece of crap with movable spikes. "You'll handle it yourself, or should I help?"
"Hah!" I flick my hand, and a Force wave shoots into the thing. Contact—then the wave slams into its snout, breaking some of its teeth. The next wave I send immediately snaps its neck, and the thing drops dead onto its belly.
"Not bad…" he notes. "Pretty damn not bad. You've got enough brute power for a whole squad."
"Thanks," I bow jokingly.
"Too early to celebrate. It's still alive," he says—and as if to prove it, I see through the Force how the creature starts to rise.
"Unexpected."
"Special skeleton, plus resistance to the Force and regeneration. To kill it, you need to damage the brain. The thing, by the way, really loves Force-users."
"R-rghaar!!!" I jump aside, avoiding its snapping jaws, but the claws still nick me a little, leaving light scratches on my arm right through the armor. Good thing it was only a graze; I've already got more scars than I can count.
"Have you even read anything about Tython's flora and fauna?"
"Broad strokes…"
"How did they even let you out of Padawan Kesh?!" Irbis snaps, calmly springing alongside me. His face doesn't even twitch, like this is just routine for him.
"And I skipped it just fine!" Landing, I bare my blade. "And I learned this!" Dash, swing—my blade sinks straight into its forehead. Blood spits lightly; a glow flashes and dies at once. The beast's eyes fade, and the thing collapses into the sand.
"Not bad… honestly, I didn't expect that."
"Thought I'd beg for help?"
"Yes."
"Screw you!" I yank the sword free and shake off the blood.
"I wouldn't be celebrating in your place," he says, silently pointing to the side where five more flintlizards are literally rushing at us. "It's not over yet."
"You've got to be kidding…"
"All right, the test has begun," he declares, demonstratively pulling out a notepad and pencil and silently scribbling something.
***
M-mother, m-mother, fuuuuuck! Thoughts were flying at light speed as I dodged the tail of one of the flintlizards.
"Irbis, you bastard, this isn't training, this is straight-up survival!"
"Incorrect, my Padawan. This is a test. You are currently taking a trial exam on your mastery of the material," that asshole announced pompously, standing off to the side and not even trying to help.
"Are you messing with me?!"
"A little."
"A-a-argh…"
Clack! Jaws snapped right beside me.
"Irbis, raghnkhar art tarnarok!"
"Now-now-now, mind your language. Less talking, more doing, my unruly student. And yes—you're getting flanked!"
"Go to hell!"
In response, he just scribbled something in his notepad. Ooooh, raghnkhar, I'll remember this!
***
"Ugh…" I collapse onto the sand, exhausted, bracing myself on my blade—only one, by the way. The second one got eaten, and I still have to get it back out.
"All right. Scoring is on a ten-point scale," Irbis began, flipping through the pages in his notepad. "Movement—five. Attacking—well done: fast and clean, you don't stand still, and your motions are graceful, but you evade attacks very poorly. Swordsmanship—four. If the flintlizard had been a human, you would've minced him, but using techniques meant for humanoids against a monster…" He shakes his head. "But you adapted quickly, so a bonus point—still four. Next: tactics. Here, a bold zero, because there were no tactics whatsoever."
"But they're dumb animals—what tactics are there?!"
"Exactly, Shade. Dumb animals. You could've outsmarted them and trapped them, but instead you charged straight through."
Says the one who stood off to the side the whole fight.
"Well then, which of us is the student, and which is the teacher?"
I rip a fang out of the flintlizard lying beside me and smile at Irbis.
"Now-now! Keep yourself in hand—where's your self-control?"
"It got eaten along with my sword!"
"Your fault. You should've acted more tactically," he shrugs.
"Irbis, what the hell kind of tactics are possible when you're fighting that kind of mob alone? It's open ground—there isn't even cover."
"If you want to live, learn to wriggle," he counters, scribbling again. "By the way, for Force use, I give you a six. You hit with your whole soul, and clearly with a guarantee. But nevertheless… not a pass!"
"As if there was anything left to pass," I grumble, tossing the fang aside. "Then how the hell am I supposed to fight them?!" In answer to my shout, Irbis silently flicks his hand, pulls his own sword from its sheath with the Force, and throws it into the creature's head. One more second and the sword shifts to the next. Two seconds—two critical strikes.
"So?"
"You got me," I admit begrudgingly. Didn't think to use the blades like that, yeah. And for the first time I see an actual emotion on my teacher's face. Specifically, a smirk. "So what now?"
"We go look for the next ones."
"Wait… you dragged us on foot on purpose for this?!"
"Yep. I have to train you somehow, and what else is there to do if you don't understand the normal way?"
"Yeah… yeah… you're not a teacher!" I don't even have enough swear words to convey how outraged I am.
"And that's good. Talk less, listen more. Then maybe something will come of you."
"Grrr…" My teeth grind, my hands clench into fists, and a beastly growl starts rising from my throat. Not holding back, I kick the fang at Irbis, but he dodges.
"Learn calm, Padawan. It'll come in handy. And better yet, read the Code in your spare time."
"You know where I'm going to shove it right now?"
"Now-now. Let's go. The sooner we leave the desert, the sooner we'll be on Chikagu."
Great Force, what kind of teacher did you give me?!